Village Defence Guards provided with sophisticated weapons: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh arms Village Defence Guards to combat terror in Jammu region, urging society to fight illegal activities.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on August 3 that Village Defence Guards (VDGs) have been provided with sophisticated weapons to deal with rising incidents of terror in the Jammu region.

Mr. Singh represents the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency in the Jammu region, large parts of which have seen a spate of terror activities since 2021. Since June this year, eight terror incidents have been reported in the region.

He was speaking at the “Empowering Youth for Viksit Bharat” programme organised at Government Degree College at Hiranagar in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Union Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Personnel, called for “breaking the nexus between terrorists and drug dealers.”

On the measures taken to deal with rising incidents of terror in the area, Mr. Singh said, “Defence forces and other law enforcing agencies have recalibrated their strategy to take on the challenges posed by terrorists in a more effective manner.”

VDGs or Village Defence Committees (VDCs) are being revived in the region since 2022 after a gap of more than 20 years. The scheme to arm the civilians was first started in 1995 in ten districts of the Jammu region, when members of the Hindu community were targeted and killed by terrorists.

Around 30,000 weapons were distributed in various phases to civilians in Poonch, Rajouri, Samba, Doda and Kishtwar districts by the local administration when militancy was at its peak in J&K. The VDGs had to be discontinued amid allegations of crimes such as abduction and rape committed by the members.